I am happy to welcome L.C. Winters to
Escape With Dollycas today!
“Tea, Trauma, and the Irish Sea:
Why We Write Cozy Mysteries with a Sharp Edge”
When people ask why we write cozy mysteries, we usually smile and say something about our love of seaside settings and twisty whodunits. And yes, that’s all true — we grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murders, and every ‘accidental sleuth’ story we could get our hands on. But the real answer runs a little deeper.
We write cozy mysteries because we’re drawn to the spaces where light and dark coexist — where someone might be baking scones in the morning and uncovering a devastating truth by teatime. Where healing isn’t linear, and justice doesn’t always wear a uniform. That tension — between comfort and chaos, trust and betrayal — is where all of our stories begin.
Our Half Moon Bay Mystery series takes place in a fictional Irish village perched on the Atlantic coast. It’s a place full of little shops and larger-than-life personalities — where everyone knows everyone else’s business (or thinks they do). We wanted to create a world that felt real: beautiful, a bit eccentric, and not afraid of its own shadows.
Enter Clementine Moriarty, our reluctant heroine. She’s a psychologist by training, but don’t let the degrees fool you — she’s got a knack for noticing what other people miss, and a hard-won resilience that comes from having her heart broken and still choosing to come home. Writing Clementine has been about capturing that quiet strength. She doesn’t chase danger for the thrill of it. She does it because the truth matters — even when it hurts.
In Mystery at an Irish Wedding, Clementine returns to Half Moon Bay after a year abroad, only to walk straight into her ex-fiancé’s wedding. To her best friend. On the same beach where she was meant to be married. It’s a deliciously dramatic setup, but beneath the betrayal is something more relatable: the ache of coming back to a place that’s moved on without you. The awkwardness of being the ghost at the party. The weight of a story you didn’t agree to be part of.
And then there’s Mason Hughes — an artist with blue hair, a mysterious past, and a tendency to turn strangers’ conversations into conceptual installations. We never meant for Mason to be a major character. He strolled onto the page, started quoting strangers, and insisted on staying. And we’re so glad he did. His presence brings something unexpected to the village — a sense of possibility, of radical empathy. He sees things differently. And in many ways, he helps Clementine see herself more clearly too.
We love the c
ozy mystery genre because it dares to place dark truths inside gentle worlds — and trusts readers to handle both. Our stories explore betrayal, grief, and healing, all within a framework that promises resolution, community, and (usually) a strong cup of tea. We sometimes say our books are “cozy with thorns.” There’s the charm of small-town life — the cafés, the nosy neighbours, the beloved family dog (or for Mason, ‘it’s Mulder the friendly fox) — but also the messiness of real emotion, of people getting things wrong, and finding their way through.
Cozies have long been underestimated, and we think that’s a mistake. These stories don’t shy away from life’s hardest moments — they just frame them with hope. A body on the beach is only the beginning. What comes next is reckoning. Repair. A cup of something hot, and a question no one else thought to ask.
We write for the readers who’ve had to start over. Who’ve walked into rooms they weren’t expected in. Who’ve learned to build lives on the wreckage of old ones. You’re our people.
And if you find yourself in Half Moon Bay — whether in the pages of our books or in your imagination — we hope you’ll sit by the sea, listen closely, and stay for a while. There’s always another mystery brewing. And often, it starts with something as small as a missing bottle of champagne.
Thank you so much, L.C., for stopping by today!
Keep reading for more information about the authors and Mystery at an Irish Wedding.
About Mystery at an Irish Wedding
Mystery at an Irish Wedding: Half Moon Bay Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Ireland
Independently Published (January 13, 2025)
Print length : 378 pages
Digital ASIN : B0DT1CVWLM
“Wedding dresses, ex-fiancés, and a whole lot of murder—just another day in Half Moon Bay”
Therapist Clementine Moriarty thought her return to the whimsical seaside town of Half Moon Bay, nestled in cozy Donegal – would be a chance to reconnect with her roots, spend time at her parents’ charming little seaside art gallery and heal from heartbreak. But her homecoming is anything but peaceful when she stumbles upon an unwelcome surprise—her ex-fiancé, Greg, is getting married to her best friend, Charlotte, on the very beach where Clementine was supposed to say “I do.”
Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, what starts as a personal nightmare soon spirals into an intriguing mystery. An anonymous email had lured Clementine back home, but who sent it and why? As the wedding unfolds, tensions simmer, secrets surface, and Half Moon Bay’s picturesque façade begins to crack. When someone turns up dead with a series of baffling clues and puzzles, Clementine finds herself the role of unlikely detective as she becomes the prime suspect.
With the help of a heartwarming, blue-haired artist and her sharp intuition, Clementine must navigate a maze of jealous exes, local gossip, and buried betrayals to uncover the truth amid the charming and Whimsical backdrop of Donegal. But in a village where everyone has something to hide, will this quirky crime-solving team be able to unmask the killer before it’s too late?
Perfect for fans of small-town mysteries, vibrant characters, clever clues, and a touch of romance, Murder at an Irish Wedding will keep you guessing until the final page.
Bottom Line: Mystery at an Irish Wedding by L.C. Winters starts this new cozy series with layered characters, a quaint Irish setting, and a well-plotted mystery.
~Reading Is My SuperPowerMystery at an Irish Wedding, the first book in the Half Moon Bay mystery series, introduces a picturesque Irish seaside setting and clever protagonist. The appeal of checking in on Clem’s personal progress and visiting the charming setting again create a natural desire for further installments in this promising new series.
~Book Club Librarian
About L. C. Winters
L.C. Winters is the pen name for Laura Cavanagh & Colin Vaughan. We are from Ireland, and we aim to bring our culture, cozy Irish atmosphere, legends and history into our stories. We write cozy mystery romance novels. Our focus is on creating a set of clever clues with twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. Our first series is called ‘Half Moon Bay Mysteries and it is set in a small, seaside village in Ireland. Our stories promote a romanticised view of small-town life with a host of eccentric, lovable characters.
As avid mystery fans (we love the classics like Agatha Christie as well as modern cozy authors like Richard Osman), we love deciphering clues and trying to beat the detective to figure out who commited the crime. So we decided to create mysteries with a complex set of interrelated clues which are delivered in an easy to follow story. We hope that the ending of each of our mysteries is both a surprise and, at the same time, feels inevitable and ‘right’.
Laura has a degree in Psychology and this is reflected in our protagonist Clementine who uses her Psychology know-how to figure out the motives, secrets and inconsistencies in each suspect.
With our cozy fiction, we aim to create heartwarming stories with lovable, quirky characters in a nice, soothing environment. Wherever you are when you are reading our stories, we hope to whisk you away to beautiful, picturesque Ireland to the seaside county of Donegal!
Author Links
Webpage – Blog – Facebook – Twitter/X – Instagram – BlueSky – GoodReads –
Purchase Links
Amazon
Series Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
June 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 14 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
June 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
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June 18 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
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June 19 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
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June 20 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 21 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
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It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
I really like reading through a post that can make men and women think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
Hi Lori,
Thank you so much for showcasing Mystery at an Irish Wedding on your wonderful website and also for organising this amazing virtual tour for us. It means the world to us to have our book featured and to get the word out to more potential readers.
L.C. Winters (Laura & Colin)
Sounds like a fabulous story.